Since congressional Republicans seem to have decided they’re going to be out doing errands between now and the time they hunker down for the 2014 general elections, us news-watchers and bloviators have a large stake in paying attention to the scattered party primaries that will occur during the course of the year—especially those Senate contests on the Republican side that could screw up the GOP’s drive for Senate control, or tilt their Conference further to the Right, or both.

The first actual primary is in Texas on March 4. Sen. John Cornyn’s right-wing challenger, the erratic Rep. Steve Stockman, has run a really bad campaign and no one thinks the potentially vulnerable Cornyn is in any real trouble (the most competitive Texas primary probably involves 90-year-old Rep. Sam Hall, who is trying to hang on for one more term).

Mitch McConnell’s tea bagger challenger, Matt Bevin, was a college classmate of mine. I hope he comes to the reunion right after he loses the primary. I don’t remember his being that big a tool in college; maybe he took a dark turn after the bell factory burned down.

(the most competitive Texas primary probably involves 90-year-old Rep. Sam Hall, who is trying to hang on for one more term).

Great guy. Was a Dem until 2004.

Hall cited unfinished business. He called it the “hardest day of my political life” when President Barack Obama got re-elected.
“My goal is to be there when Obama leaves,” Hall said. “I want to see him leave, when he leaves the White House. I want to get him a ticket to Chicago just as quickly as we can. And I want to be there and be a member of Congress supporting some good Republican for president.”

EDIT: He also apparently rolls out the “this is my last time running” before every election.

Rep Ralph Hall may have called himself a Democrat before 2004 but he voted solid Republican for decades before. He wouldn’t vote for a Democrat as Speaker, always voted for the Republican. Huge racist asshat!

@Hal: Given that the President’s term ends on 1/20/17 and the next Congress’ term ends on 1/3/17, he’ll need two more terms to see Obama out of DC. As for being around for a Republican president, I doubt a nonagenarian can live that long.

The Constitution mandates that the minimum age to serve in the U.S. House is 25. That won’t be a problem for Joe Newman.

Newman, 101, is seeking the House seat held by Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., as a write-in candidate. Florida’s 16th District is currently listed as “Solid Republican” by Cook Political Report.
[snip]
As for politics, he says he’d never given serious thought to running before, but that changed recently. He described himself as an “archaeological progressive” — his website refers to him as an “anthropological progressive” — and says reaction to his candidacy has been “amazing.” So much so, he notes, that the odds of victory are “probably down to 1 million to 1.” Source

The rest of you, along with the other 87 counties in Ohio, are on your own :)

In an open-ended question, allowing for any answer, a total of 42 percent of Ohio voters list the economy or jobs as the top priority for state government in 2014. Another 14 percent list education or education funding, followed by 5 percent who cite health care.

Education is the second most important issue in polling, and I think people mean “education funding”, which Kasich has cut. Also, he loathes “government schools”.

I have informed Mr. FitzGerald, the challenger, of this potentially great issue for him but I’m not 100% sure he was listening although obviously I’m right :)

Here in Kansas, Sen. Pat Roberts is being challenged by Obama’s teabagger cousin, Michael Wolf. Wolf is gaining traction on the discovery that Roberts doesn’t live here. His voting address was a house he rented out, while he voted absentee from his home in Virginia? How is that not voter fraud? Our Secretary of State, Kris Kobach, is the king of voter fraud pursuit, but not a peep out of him. I don’t think there’s a Democrat lined up to run if the teabagger wins, though. Unfortunately, Wolf is very handsome and will look good in ads.